The Dynaco Tube Audio Forum

Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.
The Dynaco Tube Audio Forum

Dedicated to the restoration and preservation of all original Dynaco tube audio equipment - Customer support for Tubes4hifi VTA tube amp and preamp kits and all Dynakitparts.com products


+3
zx
Tube Nube
baddog1946
7 posters

    New back loaded horns build

    baddog1946
    baddog1946


    Posts : 319
    Join date : 2010-02-03
    Location : Costa Rica

    New back loaded horns build Empty New back loaded horns build

    Post by baddog1946 Sun Dec 27, 2015 10:50 am

    Hi All:
    I just built a set of "Decware DNA"  back loaded hornse  with a set of " Fostex FE-163En-S full range drivers  for a home theater in a smaller room.

    When I tested them in my shop (a much bigger room) they blew me away! I set them about 3 ft. from the wall and about 7-8 feet apart and hooked them up to my Latino M-125's.

    The drivers only have about 20 hours so far but they were fine from the get go.  As soon as I heard the great bass I put on a Mickey Hart CD for a real bass and drums work out.

    I am getting clean bass out of these things way down there where little speakers like these usually do not have much bass. Must be the boxes delivering the bass I hear!

    The sound is unbelievable! Clean on both bottom and top ends. The bass is truly outstanding for a speaker box 8" x 12 x 28".

    I got the plans from "Decware" for 19.95. This is my third "Decware" speaker build. I already built their superb "NFX" ( don't try this one if you do not have some woodworking skills) and "Zen" open baffle. Both were challenging builds from the minimal plans provided but in the "DNA" case the plans kit is very good and straight forward if you know your way around a table saw.

    The cut out and assembly was quite simple. I printed a full size set of plans on my computer for the cut list and I finished them in about 20 hours. I used 5/8' Baltic birch plywood instead of 1/2" that they recommended.
    That may have been a bit of overkill as the boxes are not large and 1/2" is very stiff with such small pieces.
    I am building a second set in 1/2" for a friend and it is actually easier with 1/2" as the plan dimensions stay the same. He will be using the "Alpair" drivers recommended now on the site. The original drivers he recommended are no longer available.
    Check out the link and article on Decware on these speakers. They are a very easy and affordable build with kick ass bass in a small  pkg.

    The site: http://www.decware.com/newsite/HORN.html  
    The photos:https://s1212.photobucket.com/user/baddog1946/slideshow/DNA%20HORNS?sort=3
    Tube Nube
    Tube Nube


    Posts : 707
    Join date : 2008-12-06
    Age : 60
    Location : Calgary, AB

    New back loaded horns build Empty Re: New back loaded horns build

    Post by Tube Nube Mon Jan 04, 2016 1:39 pm

    Congratulations on your latest build! It's very satisfyimg, isnt it?!

    I'm a big fan of the single driver, full ranger horn type speakers. They deliver such a fast, natural, open sound that is exhilarating. I never heard a negative comment by anyone who came to hear mine, though many were shocked and delighted, whether they were experienced audiophiles, or audio novices. They all recognized these sound different to what they knew before.

    So brace yourself for admiration! It sounds like yours deliver down low where mine fell away (below 135 hz). [mine were a different design from yours]

    Any chance we could have pictures?
    baddog1946
    baddog1946


    Posts : 319
    Join date : 2010-02-03
    Location : Costa Rica

    New back loaded horns build Empty New back loaded horns build

    Post by baddog1946 Mon Jan 04, 2016 5:25 pm

    Wow I thought I had posted the pics of my build correctly but the link I put in there does not work.I will correct that ASAP. Thanks Tube nube..........baddog
    baddog1946
    baddog1946


    Posts : 319
    Join date : 2010-02-03
    Location : Costa Rica

    New back loaded horns build Empty Re: New back loaded horns build

    Post by baddog1946 Mon Jan 04, 2016 5:51 pm

    Ok here are the photos ..

    Sorry for the bad photography but I think you can see the basics.
    I have been breaking these Fostex drivers in and they keep getting better.
    cheers...................Baddog


    New back loaded horns build DNA-03
    New back loaded horns build DNA-02
    New back loaded horns build DNAHORNS-2
    New back loaded horns build DNA%20HORN
    New back loaded horns build DNA-05
    Tube Nube
    Tube Nube


    Posts : 707
    Join date : 2008-12-06
    Age : 60
    Location : Calgary, AB

    New back loaded horns build Empty Re: New back loaded horns build

    Post by Tube Nube Mon Jan 04, 2016 6:13 pm

    Muy bien. That's a nice looking speaker, and not too exotic as a diy project by the looks of it, so any admirers shouldn't be too hesitant.
    avatar
    zx


    Posts : 205
    Join date : 2011-08-05

    New back loaded horns build Empty Re: New back loaded horns build

    Post by zx Mon Jan 04, 2016 6:58 pm

    Vary nice....thanks for the pic...
    Decware has some vary cool speakers an tube audio setups... ...an they use Acoustat M4s Esl as a reff like myself..... for over 30 years....have fun this year....





    thanks for the site Bob...............
    daveshel
    daveshel


    Posts : 169
    Join date : 2011-11-06
    Location : Tucson AZ USA

    New back loaded horns build Empty Re: New back loaded horns build

    Post by daveshel Mon Jan 04, 2016 7:13 pm

    Nice. Thanks for motivating me to spend a few minutes on the Decware site. There are some fun looking projects there.
    baddog1946
    baddog1946


    Posts : 319
    Join date : 2010-02-03
    Location : Costa Rica

    New back loaded horns build Empty New back loaded horns build

    Post by baddog1946 Tue Jan 05, 2016 11:03 am

    Thanks for the kind words.
    The pics I posted were taken on the day I finished the boxes So they are a bit raw looking in the pics.
    I had a lot more pics of the build but I dropped my phone in the ocean while fishing and lost about 30 pics of the build stage.
    I plan to set them on the bases like the Decware site shows and veneer them with some hardwood maybe "cocbolo". I will post more pics when I'm done.
    Yes, the build was not too challenging. The sound is superb.
    Cheers.
    Tube Nube
    Tube Nube


    Posts : 707
    Join date : 2008-12-06
    Age : 60
    Location : Calgary, AB

    New back loaded horns build Empty Re: New back loaded horns build

    Post by Tube Nube Tue Jan 05, 2016 11:51 am

    Poor dog -- dropping your phone in the ocean!

    Great value for dollar and for effort invested in those speakers. That's what diy is all about!

    Well done, sir. Except for the phone! I don't recommend a diy solution of diving in for it yourself. Sometimes store bought is more sensible!
    avatar
    Dale Stevens


    Posts : 201
    Join date : 2014-07-06
    Age : 74
    Location : Loris, SC

    New back loaded horns build Empty Re: New back loaded horns build

    Post by Dale Stevens Tue Jan 05, 2016 3:55 pm

    Hey man, nice build: Is that OUTSIDE measurements? Could one not use finished 1" X 12" solid shelving? Also, are they top-heavy since not being very "wide" ? Dale
    deepee99
    deepee99


    Posts : 2244
    Join date : 2012-05-23
    Location : Wallace, Idaho

    New back loaded horns build Empty Re: New back loaded horns build

    Post by deepee99 Tue Jan 05, 2016 4:05 pm

    Baddog
    For hardwood veneer you might check out Kewazinga. It is a drop-dead gorgeous wood. I have it on my Tylers and had it on the Vandersteens. Just pretty enough to draw compliments, but it won't overtake the room decor.

    http://www.oakwoodveneer.com/veneers/kewazinga-veneer.html
    baddog1946
    baddog1946


    Posts : 319
    Join date : 2010-02-03
    Location : Costa Rica

    New back loaded horns build Empty Re: New back loaded horns build

    Post by baddog1946 Tue Jan 05, 2016 8:10 pm

    Yep it was a $300 smart phone but the owner was the weak link. I was trying to take a pic of a big wahoo we had at the boat. Screwed that up!

    I don't intend to dive for it, way too deep and there are some big smileys of the shark family around the fish'in hole we like (Bat Islands,Costa Rica).

    We get bitten off regularly out there and when that happens we have to go elsewhere as they just follow us around to pick off our fish. I catch 1/2  of a lot of Yellowfin tuna.

    Back to the speakers. They are not top heavy, most of the interior baffles are on the bottom half of the boxes.
    With the the bases on it will add about 2 inches to both the width and depth of the footprint.

    Those are outside dimensions on that "sketch up" I posted from the Decware site. 1x12 boards might work.If you miter the corners like I did you would be close.

    I used  Baltic birch plywood but solid wood could work as easily. I would recommend following the exact dimensions though if you want to achieve the same acoustics as Steve Deckert tested out.

    The drivers I used spec out a bit better than the original "Tang Band" drivers he used in the original edition but it looks like the "Alpair" drivers he uses now haave closer specs to the Fostex drivers I picked out.

    It was weird I bought the plans then found out the "Tang Band" drivers he recommended had been discontinued so I had to go looking. He had them as the drivers for a year on his site before he swapped to the Alpair drivers

    I looked at that "Kewazinga". Very nice! I love it! but I live in Costa Rica and so I will likely use something exotic from here.
    I like the look of both "Genizaro and Cristobal. We also have "Zebrawood" but that might look too wild.  
    cheers
    avatar
    litefootdan


    Posts : 18
    Join date : 2014-03-21

    New back loaded horns build Empty Re: New back loaded horns build

    Post by litefootdan Tue Jan 05, 2016 11:49 pm

    Hey baddog,

    Great looking DNA's.  Very impressive that you've built a pair of NFX's.  How do they compare to the DNA's and ZOB's?  I've been lucky enough to have gone to three of Steve's Decfests and have heard the DNA's and ZOB's a couple of times, but never the NFX's.  I guess I've heard every other speaker in their line-up except the NFX's and his take on the Jensen Imperial.  

    At any rate, its nice to see some "cross-talk" between these two fantastic audio resources(tubes4hifi and decware).  I'm feeding my Torii MKIV with a PH16 and SP14.  They are fantastic together.  I've also made a pair of ZKIT1's and run them as monoblocks, but that Torii just has some sort of magic in it.  

    Thanks for sharing your project,  they are very handsome speakers.  I've always sworn that if I get the listening space, that I'd attempt to make the corner horns.  They have been the most impressive speakers I've heard at Steve's.  Perhaps it is just the mystique of them, but they sounded like angles to me.

    Dan
    baddog1946
    baddog1946


    Posts : 319
    Join date : 2010-02-03
    Location : Costa Rica

    New back loaded horns build Empty Re: New back loaded horns build

    Post by baddog1946 Wed Jan 06, 2016 10:13 am

    The NFX's were a very challenging build. All the parts front to back have an 8 degree tilt to them and that is a MF'er.
    The NFX speakers are awesome! I found theem to be te equal of the ZOB which I also uilt two years ago.
    In fact my build pics are on his site in the NFX area. Both models perform fantasically and show the effort Deckert put into their designs.

    The NFX's are based on an old Jensenbass reflex design.. The drivers are 99db. which is very efficient and the ST-120 seems to be made for them. I can break wondows with them.

    I also like the ZOB's but I don't use them much because of space issues and the fact they really need a big room to shine. The sound stage seems to be quite large. I used them outside a couple of times at parties and they are quite amazing out in the open.

    Sponsored content


    New back loaded horns build Empty Re: New back loaded horns build

    Post by Sponsored content


      Current date/time is Thu Mar 28, 2024 9:32 pm